Most people are aware of the fact that getting enough exercise on a regular basis is key to maintaining optimal health levels.

If you want to have energy throughout the day, and also help improve your overall metabolism, getting plenty of exercise, which may include walking or running, is something that you should consider doing.

However, some people are unable to walk for long distances, or even jog a couple miles, simply because they are completely out of shape.

In order to ease yourself into a regular exercise regimen, you might want to consider riding your bike.

Here are nine reasons why you should ride your bike every day, reasons that, if you act upon them, will help improve your health and life.

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One of the most fun things you can do when you own a bike are the tricks. Even I try to do some tricks every now and then. It’s really quite fun, and it’s freeing. It’s a great way to spend a lazy day afternoon. I usually try to find a nice empty parking lot to do it, and usually I try to do my tricks in my office parking lot. Unfortunately they’re going to need a new warehouse barrier as I managed to crash into one of their barriers as I was trying to do a wheelie…

But that’s okay. At least I learned how to do it now. The warehouse barrier was a small expense compared to all the fun I’ve been having. Let me tell you about two really basic tricks that you can do.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A HELMET

Before you even attempt to do any of these tricks..or before you even try to ride a bike at all actually, you should always have a helmet. Actually you should have a helmet, AND other safety gear. But the minimum will always be a helmet.

Don’t even think about getting on a bike without a helmet. Alright? Unless you have a death wish. Which I’m sure you don’t. So have you grabbed your helmet? Yes? Then let’s begin!

There are a ton of tutorials on the internet and what I am giving you are just basic descriptions of how you can do these tricks so if you want a demonstration, head on over to youtube. If you can live with just words…. good luck!

Slide
This is one of the most basic tricks that you can learn to do. It’s great to do when the ground is loose and wet, so it’s pretty good on days where it rained. Basically to perform this trick, you pretty much have to lock up the back wheel by pulling the back brake hard, and then make the turn you need to make.

It’s kind of like drifting in a sense. But make sure to stay at a moderate speed otherwise you could end up hurting yourself. Let go of the back brake when you make the turn, of course!

Wheelie
The wheelie is also one of the most basic tricks you can do, and probably one of the most popular. You know this one as the one where the rider pulls up the front wheel and balances it on the back wheel. Basically all you have to do for this one is to pedal hard, then pull up on the handle bars and lean back.

Performing A BMX Wheelie

If you can’t manage to lift it up, lower the gear as when you lower it and pedal on the bike hard your front wheel will practically automatically lift up. And then you will have an easier time pulling up. Make sure that you don’t let the front wheel of the bike turn more than a few degrees otherwise when you land you’re prone to crash!

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Instead of enrolling my children in a course that offers training in leadership skills, I decided to just put them in a cycling workshop. While I have nothing against getting formal training for leadership skills, I feel that it is something that they can do once they are older, not while they are kids still enjoying themselves.

Leadership training in a formal setting tends to be stuffy and business oriented, which may not be a good fit for my kids.

Instead, I go with the creed that “Sports build character”. This is something that my dad used to tell me (in fact, granddad tells it to the kids as well. He approves of the fact that my kids can already ride bicycles on their own).

When I talk about “building character”, the best thing that comes out of it is that children who do sports tend to be better leaders. Sports can really give you amazing life lessons in all of its ups and downs.

Teach Your Kid To Ride A Bike

I wanted to put my children in a cycling workshop so that they can experience being in a team. My eldest for example, is already demonstrating that he will be a very capable climber in the future. Cycling may seem like a solo sport, but cycling teams work together to beat their competition.

So how does cycling build up your child’s leadership skills?

Cycling is a disciplineA good leader is a disciplined one. Cycling promotes discipline because concentration and perseverance is needed to be able to ride one. Cycling is a balancing act, coupled with dynamic movement. You also have to keep track of your surroundings.

Cycling fosters quick decision making skills
Like all sports, cycling fosters quick decision making skills. Cyclists would have to be on their toes and exercise caution at all times. If you are cycling, you will encounter obstacles and bends at every corner.

If you are cycling as a team, you can make decisions based on what is best for the team.

Improves communicationCycling as a team will require strategical planning and working together. I have always briefed my children before starting any new bike trail, because I wanted them to stay safe and sound while riding their bikes.

I noticed that at the bike workshop, my children have started doing the same, as they are the ones who have the most experience on a bike. I was so proud that they were communicating their ideas with their team mates, and I even hear them chattering happily while riding their bikes together.

I love how much my children have developed their leadership skills while doing their biking workshop. When they are older, I would love to get them some official training for leadership skills.

They did really well, and their instructor even game them a small medal for “Best in Leadership”. I was so proud of them both that I treated them to some ice cream after they came home from their cycling workshop.

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Just a few days ago I was truly able to have an enjoyable experience. As a person who loves bikes and everything to do with them (riding them, looking at them, shopping for them even though I already have more than I need and don’t have any money for more, working on them, upgrading them and repairing them and so on…) it was an absolute treat to be able to attend a bike expo where I was able to have a look around at all the bikes that I couldn’t help absolutely drooling for. It was just amazing.

Meanwhile Watch and Enjoy this 2014 Bike Expo:

Let me just tell you, there were so many things that I loved about that place. I could just walk around all day—it was that fun. I even almost forgot to eat lunch… because I was so busy walking around admiring all the bikes and yes, even just talking to other people about the bikes. Let me just talk to you about the highlights of that experience. I really hope there will be another expo again, soon!

The Sheer Amount of Bikes!

Okay so let me just say… the sheer amount of bikes in the expo, not only the bikes on sale but also the bikes that were ridden in by people like me… was just overwhelming.

That’s all I can say about it. Incredibly overwhelming. There were so many bikes there that the storage system in their bike warehouse could barely keep up! Luckily there were people buying bikes left and right, so that meant at least that space was being freed up somehow. I think that was the first time I’d ever seen that many bikes in one place.

The Amazing Discounts

What kind of bike expo would it be if there weren’t some sort of a discount there? So yes, let’s just say my wallet is now suffering for it because I paid for so many things left and right.

I was good and I avoided buying an actual bike, but I was buying parts here and there to upgrade my current gear. Well, that and I was also buying some spare parts just in case one of my bikes broke.

The discounts were so good I just couldn’t let them pass me by—after all, everything I bought would be things that I would actually end up using, not just things I would hoard and never look at again.

The New Friends Made

We bike people are a friendly lot. We get to talking about bikes and then the next thing you know we’re all talking about our families and our hobbies and what we like doing with our lives.

I came away from that expo with at least a few more friends than I had when I came in. I even managed to join a new riding group. We’ve already talked about going riding sometime soon. Looking forward to it!

If there was to be another bike expo any time soon, I would most definitely be in attendance. That much I’m sure of. I’m so glad I got to attend this one. Oh and next time I’m definitely bringing the family along.

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I love having a dog. In fact I look forward to walking my dog every day. But of course, being a pet parent has its ups and downs. I have had to make many sacrifices in order to balance my responsibilities of pet parenthood, real parenthood, and of course, work and play.

So sometimes I end up making little sacrifices in order to keep my pet happy. But not all of them are sacrifices because I still get to ride my bike… So I’m still happy.

Let’s just call this the little things I do to keep my dog’s tail wagging. All while staying on my bike. Hehe.

Take Time Out of My Day for Daily Walks

We all know that having pets means being responsible for keeping them and their hearts happy. For dogs that means giving them regular walks to keep their ticker in tip top shape.

And to keep their health good in general. Luckily for my I’ve learned to walk my dog while I’m riding my bike. I just tie his leash to the bike frame where it won’t get in the way and bike along the safe lanes/sidewalks.

I DO NOT recommend this if your dog is not trained. You and your dog could get seriously injured. My dog is trained to behave during walks, and also to walk tied to a bike. Please ensure you and your dog know what you are doing before you attempt this.

Shop for Doggie Kibble and Treats It’s my responsibility to make sure that Fido stays well fed. I also have to make sure that he always meets his nutritional needs so that he can be healthy at all times.

So of course I always get the best kibble and treats to keep him in optimum health. And yes… I do this on my bike. It’s not ideal, but if you’re asking then YES I can actually get a big sack of dog food on my bike and take it back home.

Well, actually I put it on a wagon hitched on my bike, but same difference. Wagons/bike “trunks” are pretty handy little items to have if you use your bikes as much as I do. Good investment.

Go Riding on a Trail

Just as I love to ride my bike on a trail, my dog loves the action of running around on those trails too. Usually when it’s just me and him on a trail where there are not very many people I just let him run off-leash. Again…

Here is a list of unusual but legal to own as pet:

I do not recommend taking your pet to a bike trail if he/she is not trained. And I most certainly do not recommend letting them go off leash unless they are absolutely 100% trained to the point where you know they will not get lost.

So those are my little ‘sacrifices’ I do for my pet…while still getting my bike time in. Tell me about what you do for your pet!

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We all know that there are many people around the world who need help, who need our assistance in one way or another. Poverty on its own makes many people suffer from hunger–billions of people in fact. Many people have no shelter to keep them warm at night, to keep them safe.

Many die from disease that could have easily been treated otherwise. This is why we have charity–charitable organisations who help those who are in need when we cannot directly help. The virtue of charity is always good. The spirit of giving is necessary in this world. Generosity makes a better society… and besides, everything given returns twofold, or more.

There are many ways to raise money for charity. Some hold fun runs, or walks for so and so cause(s). Some people, like me, like to join biking for charity events where we bike a certain distance along a chosen path. Call it biking for a cause.

Usually we end up finding sponsors who pledge a certain amount of money for every kilometre that we bike. It’s always a good idea to join charity events like these–not only do you get to help a good cause… you get a good work out at the same time!

Here’s a quick rundown of how the bike-a-thons I’ve been on usually were. At least here’s how people usually help through bike-a-thons.

Bikers

Of course one part of the equation is the bikers themselves, who pledge to bike the entire distance. I’ve done this a couple times and it’s really nice to be part of something when you know you are helping out a good cause.

Sometimes those biking will pledge some money themselves, but this isn’t necessary as they can find sponsors who will then be the ones to pledge money and other help.

Individuals Pledging

Sometimes individuals can be the ones themselves to pledge a certain amount of money for every kilometre. I’ve had friends pledge even something as low as one pound a kilometre for a hundred kilometre ride, which is good on its own because I had ten friends who pledged varying amounts. It all depends on what a person is willing to part with for a cause.

Companies Pledging and Promoting Themselves

Of course aside from the individuals pledging, you can actually get companies to pledge too–companies who have more juice to help. Companies often are the ones who have a lot of money that they can spare for events such as this.

Have you been into the ice bucket challenge for ALS? See this YouTube Video showing negative comments on this latest craze:

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I’ve mentioned in the past that I quite love travelling with my bike. I think I actually mentioned it several times, in fact. It’s hard not to love travelling with my bike–I mean just travelling on its own is already completely fantastic. Add a bike? Well, that puts me pretty much in heaven.

I’ve actually travelled with my bike so many times before that I’ve lost count. I’ve taken it on multiple weekend trips, road trips on summer holidays… sometimes I even take it on early morning rides to the closest trails, if I really need some stress relief

You should try it, you know.

Going biking for stress relief. It is quite cathartic, truthfully. To give you a few ideas of what I’ve done and where I’ve gone with my bike…have a quick read right here.

Travel Internationally

One of the things you should know is that you actually aren’t limited to local travel–you don’t have to just roam around your own country–truth is you can actually take your bike across borders.

If you believe that it’s quite a bit much to pay to bring your bike on planes, an option is to drive to your destination. If that is not an option, then you can of course rent a bike at your destinations. Unfortunately, not everyone actually likes renting bikes since we actually tend to get used to our bikes…but it is an option.

Explore Local Trails

Travelling internationally is amazing, of course. Everyone will agree that being able to have new experiences, being able to try new things, eat new kinds of cuisine, meet new people and learn new cultures is a great way to add value and experiences to your life.

But what a lot of people don’t realise is that there are many things to see locally as well. Even locally there are new experiences to be had, new cultures to learn, new cuisines to try.

And it’s perfect for people who are on a budget too. Personally I have gone to many different places in the country–with my bike in tow. I rarely ever rent a vehicle, I prefer getting to know a city or a town on a bike. It feels so much more intimate that way.

Go Camping

One thing I also love to do with my bike is to go camping. Often with my wife and children. I adore it–being out in nature with my family, being able to explore forests and nature trails with them on our bikes.

There is nothing you can’t do when it comes to travelling with your (or with a) bike. All you need to remember is that you have to be careful and be mindful of things such as traffic and environment.

If you are new to a place you might make mistakes that could endanger your life and of course I want you to remain safe. Have safe, fun travels!

Find a Good Place to Leave It

If you are going to be going inside an establishment, you are more than likely going to need to leave your bike behind somewhere.

So if you want to keep your bike safe when you ‘park’ it, make sure that you find a good place to leave it.

Somewhere that is highly visible to the public, brightly lit, and if possible, somewhere that is within the purview of a CCTV camera.

Of course this doesn’t really deter the really daring thieves, but this can discourage some of them at least. If there is a chance you can bring your bike inside and leave it somewhere in there…perhaps you should.

Bring Your Bike Inside at Night

Night time is one of the most common times that people lose things to thieves. If you want to keep your bicycles safe even at night time, bring them indoors if you can.

Park them by the front door so that you don’t end up tripping all over it inside your house or apartment.

This isn’t always an option for people, so if you can’t bring your bike inside at least make sure that you can put it in the garage, in the backyard…and if that still isn’t possible then at the very least make sure that you lock up your bike when you leave it on the bike rack.

Make use of good locks, ones that thieves won’t be able to get through all that easily. And don’t leave it unsecured.

“Ugly” It Up

Okay, so not everyone will like this next option but the truth is things that don’t look shiny and new tend to deter thieves.

If you want to keep your bike safe, you can give it a bad paint job, or perhaps scratch it up a little. Maybe even get a ding in.

Or you can ‘personalize’ it with stickers and all sorts of things that can make your bike less appealing to thieves.

Note of course that none of these methods will guarantee your bike’s safety…but it’s worth a shot.